


Son of Marmora

by tucuxi



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adopted Keith (Voltron), Families of Choice, Gen, Inspired By Tumblr, Inspired by Fanart, dads of marmora
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-24
Updated: 2017-02-24
Packaged: 2018-09-26 16:34:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9911456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tucuxi/pseuds/tucuxi
Summary: Four times Keith didn't need a hug from his adoptive fathers, but got one anyway.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [Dads of Marmorra fan art](http://drisrt.tumblr.com/tagged/dads-of-marmora-au) \-- seriously, click that link and give [drisrt](http://drisrt.tumblr.com) ALL THE LOVE, because it is spectacular.

Keith's first memory is of a tantrum so fierce it scared even him, and of Antok wrapping his tiny, struggling form in a giant embrace and just holding on tight, even when Keith kicked and bit him with sharp baby teeth. Being swaddled despite his rage had been soothing, and Keith had never been able to truly fear Antok after that.

"That was when we knew you were truly one of ours," Ulaz said, the one time Keith dared mention it, "to fight so fiercely despite all odds." 

* * * 

Keith began training as soon as he could walk. Ulaz taught him to read, and Keith learned that his family was nothing like the families in books. Ulaz, whom Keith privately thought of as the warm one, looked pained when Keith pointed it out. 

"It's all right," Keith said. "It's stupid to have only two parents anyway." Thace, who had just stepped into the room, ruffled Keith's hair. "Stahhppit," Keith whined, but he was glad when Thace didn't stop, and tapped him lightly on the tip of the nose instead. 

"What did we say about calling other people's customs stupid?" Thace asked him, voice stern. "If you're to be a diplomat, you mustn't make snap judgments."

Keith sighed, and leaned back against Ulaz's chest. He wasn't as solid as Antok, but he was much more comfortable to lean against. 

"I know," he said. "I'm sorry." 

* * * 

Keith was twelve when Thace was assigned to the Hub. Keith overheard the news when he was skipping diplomacy training for an extra session in the gym, and fled to his room. 

Thace found him, and gathered Keith into his arms despite Keith's protests. 

"I can't promise I will come back," Thace said, just as blunt as his other fathers always were: there was the secrecy the Blade required, and there was the trust among family. "I will promise to always love you, Keithling." 

Keith buried his face in his kind father's chest and wept for the last time. 

When Thace left the next day, Keith stood beside Kolivan, and the weight of his stern father's hand on his shoulder felt like an anchor, and like an anvil, at once. 

* * * 

Kolivan let the paladins of Voltron enter the base the day before Keith's seventeenth birthday. The Red Lion arrived, but the paladins who stepped out wore black and green.

"I am Shiro, and this is Pidge," the Black paladin said on the surface. "We have reason to believe one of your number is the Red paladin." The Red Lion made a rumbling noise that Keith could feel in his belly, despite them being dozens of meters away through solid rock.

Antok nodded, and led them to the Hall. The Green paladin looked around with wide eyes, hands twitching toward her belt; the Black paladin cataloged the room with a flat expression, noting entrances and exits. Keith knew he had been the Champion in the Hub arena. He wondered what the Black paladin would be like in a fight.

"I am Kolivan," Keith's father said. "Leader of the Blade of Marmora." He nodded, and Keith stepped forward. "This is my son, Keith." 

"He's human," the Green paladin hissed.

"He is the Red paladin," Kolivan said, and only Keith's lifetime of training stopped him from spinning around in shock. 

"Let's find out," was all the Black paladin said, and Antok led them back to the surface, where the Red Lion sat in a self-generated force-shield that melted at Keith's touch.

"Whoah!" The Green paladin -- Pidge -- stared at him in open-mouthed shock. "Keith, huh?" Her mouth split in a grin. "I hope you like space goo!"


End file.
